Courts / Limerick / Report
Burglar given suspended sentence after being shot in face to be jailed after appeal
Summary
Tomas Mikalajunas, 41, a Lithuanian national, was sentenced by the Court of Appeal to two years and nine months in prison for two burglaries and one criminal damage charge. He had originally received a suspended five‑year, six‑month sentence after a 2016 incident in which a Garda's accidental gun discharge left him with life‑changing injuries, including difficulty speaking and eating. The burglaries involved a pharmacy in Kinsale (January 2015) where €60,000 of high‑end perfumes were stolen, and a boutique in Adare (2016) where €80,000 of clothing was taken. The Court of Appeal found the original sentence unduly lenient and imposed the new term, with no portion suspended, while also imposing a concurrent two‑year sentence for criminal damage. Mikalajunas was present via video link from Lithuania. Tomas Mikalajunas pleaded guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Burglar given suspended sentence after being shot in face to be jailed after appeal. Charges or matters: two counts of burglary and one of criminal damage. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- January 30, 2015 Incident
- June 28, 2016 Incident
- 2021-02-22 Publication
Why: A burglar who was spared a prison sentence because of injuries he suffered when he was accidentally shot in the face by a garda, has been jailed by the Court of Appeal. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: two counts of burglary and one of criminal damage (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said Mikalajunas had travelled to Ireland to carry out well-planned burglaries of high-end goods, and imposed a sentence of two years and nine months. Having heard the medical evidence, the sentencing judge at the Circuit Criminal Court imposed a prison sentence of five years and six months, suspended in its entirety.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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